Decoding RIL AGM: JioAirFiber launch on Sept 19; Mukesh Ambani outlines Jio's mega AI push

New Delhi: Reliance Jio will launch its 5G home broadband service JioAirFiber on September 19, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Monday, as he also outlined aggressive plans for AI terming it the "most exciting frontier of growth" for Jio. Other major takeaways from the Reliance Industries' 46th AGM included announcement of Jio True5G Lab, where technology partners and enterprise customers can develop, test, and co-create multiple industry-specific solutions; and 'Jio True5G Developer Platform', a comprehensive platform combining 5G network, edge computing, and a spectrum of applications and services. The RIL top honcho said that JioAirFiber, a fixed wireless broadband offering, uses pan-India 5G network and advanced wireless technologies to bypass the need for last-mile fibre. In other words, it's a 5G broadband service that doesn't need wires.

While optical fibre can currently connect around 15,000 premises daily, JioAirFiber will supercharge the expansion with up to 150,000 connections per day, marking a 10-fold increase that expands the company's addressable market over the next three years to over 200 million high-paying homes and premises. "Today, I'm delighted to announce that JioAirFiber will launch on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on 19th September, giving us another avenue for customer value and revenue growth in the untapped Indian home segment," Ambani said. According to him, the fixed mobile convergence will foster greater engagement and loyalty among Indian households, especially premium households where home broadband usage is growing the fastest. The new offering will also overcome the challenges of providing physical last-mile connectivity that involves extending optical fibre to premises. "Our extensive optical fibre presence puts us in close proximity to over 200 million premises. Yet, providing physical last-mile connectivity is a painstaking process in most parts of our country.

This leaves millions of potential customers without home broadband due to complexities and delays involved in extending optical fibre to their premises. This is where JioAirFiber, our fixed-wireless broadband offering, comes in," Ambani said. Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, said the company is building a transformative platform that will change the way Indian enterprises, small businesses, and technology startups interact with the digital world. Sharing a glimpse of digital ecosystem that Jio True5G is looking to create in India, he announced Jio True5G Developer Platform, which combines 5G network, edge computing, and a spectrum of applications and services. "Jio True5G Developer Platform enables secure, quick deployment of 5G Edge compute and low-latency applications, enabling faster autonomous decisions, immersive experiences, and real-time Edge AI," he said. This accelerates innovation, improves time-to-market, and reduces cost.

The 'Jio True5G Lab' is a facility designed to speed up industry transformation using Jio 5G. In this facility, technology partners and enterprise customers can develop, test, and co-create multiple industry-specific solutions. The inaugural Jio True5G Lab will be located at the Reliance Corporate Park, acting as the nerve centre for shaping India's 5G future. Mukesh Ambani spelt out "four exciting frontiers" for Jio's growth, which provide the telco an opportunity for multi-fold revenue and EBITDA growth in the coming years. These included consumer segment, powered by Jio 5G and Jio Bharat; home segment, turbo charged by Jio AirFiber; business segment, with its large untapped potential; and Jio Platforms' opportunity for global expansion. Jio Platforms is keen to lead efforts in developing India-specific AI models and AI-powered solutions across domains, delivering the benefit of this new-age technology to Indian citizens, businesses and government, Mukesh Ambani said promising "AI to everyone, everwhere".

Terming Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the most exciting frontier of growth for Jio, Ambani pledged the company's commitment to create up to 2,000 MW of AI-ready computing capacity, across both cloud and edge locations, while adopting sustainable practices and greener future. A global AI revolution is reshaping the world and intelligent applications will redefine and revolutionise industries, economies, and even daily life, sooner than expected, Ambani said. To stay globally competitive, India must harness AI for innovation, growth, and national prosperity, he asserted. "Here is my promise to our countrymen. Seven years ago, Jio promised broadband connectivity to everyone, everywhere. We have delivered. Today Jio promises AI to everyone, everywhere.

And we shall deliver," he vowed. Within the RIL group, talent pool and capabilities are being augmented to swiftly assimilate the latest global innovations in AI, especially the recent advances in generative AI. The company is "on track" to cover the entire country with the ultra high-speed 5G network by December this year, Ambani said terming Reliance Jio's 5G services as fastest-ever roll-out of this scale anywhere in the world. Overall, Jio customer base has crossed 450 million. Its 5G network covers 96 per cent of towns and the company is on track to cover the entire country by December. With over 50 million 5G customers, Jio is already leading in 5G adoption in India, Ambani said